


Timelines

by angsty_nerd



Category: Roswell (TV 1999)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-11-26 11:56:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20929826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angsty_nerd/pseuds/angsty_nerd
Summary: What would the world have been like if Liz had died in the shooting? After an accident, Liz finds herself experiencing that world.Fic starts immediately after Episode 1x10, the Balance.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In recognition of the 20th anniversary of OG Roswell’s premiere... I bring you my premiere as a fanfic writer. As in the first fic I ever wrote. Be kind, I was an 18 year old nerd who was new at this!

“How is it possible that I could be that I could be the happiest I’ve ever been, you know, and now the saddest all at one time?” 

“I think that’s what being in love is.”

“I think so too.”

“So we’ll just take a step back. For a while.”

“Yeah, well. You know if that’s what you want.”

“It’s what I need Liz, because I’m just as scared as you are.”

“No, wait Max!” Liz kisses him. Max just stands there like a stone, refusing to allow himself to kiss her back.”

“I just wanted to remember.”

“Goodbye Liz.”

“Bye Max.”

Liz had never felt so cold in all her life, as she stood there on the rooftop hugging herself tightly. The tears ran freely down her face as she tried to comprehend what has just happened to her. She stared up at the stars, her eyes catching the constellation, the one she now knew lead to his home. Suddenly the universe seemed a lot bigger, and a lot lonelier. 

Liz turned and looked at her diary, where she kept all her most personal thoughts and feelings. Just a minute before Liz had been sitting there thinking about Max, and how much she loved him, and how she’d do anything for him. When he came, Liz was so happy to see him, until she realized why he was there. Just the other day he’d said that it would be worth it no matter what they went through, ‘cause they’d be together, and then he ran at the first sign of trouble. 

Suddenly Liz was angry. Angry with Max for being so afraid. Angry with herself for giving him a reason to run. She needed to vent it all out. She turned to stalk over to her diary, but as she reached the chair, her foot slipped on the wax that had dripped down off of one of the candles she constantly burned up there. All Liz could see in her mind was Max’s face before the blackness that came when her head cracked against the wall. 

Liz slowly opened her eyes and looked at her bedroom ceiling. There was a moment of confusion. The last thing she remembered was Max and her on the roof. At that memory the pain of what he had said burst up inside her. Then she remembered him leaving, and her standing alone up there, and that was it. Then there was nothing. She had no idea how she ended up sleeping in her bed. Oh well. It wasn’t important. What was important now was getting to school and dealing with Max. Liz wanted to cry at the thought of him, but she couldn’t let herself. Today she needed to be strong. No emotions. She had to suppress them while she was at school, otherwise she would totally break down when she saw him. 

Liz quickly showered and dressed, and ran down the stairway into the alley. She didn’t want to have to deal with her parents this morning. She looked at her watch. Maria should be pulling up front any moment. Liz waited..and waited. This was weird. Maria was usually here by now. What the hell was going on? Finally after another 5 minutes, Liz gave up and turned down the street to walk to school. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Max drove through the streets of Roswell only half paying attention to the heated discussion that Isabel and Michael were having beside him. It was going to be tough to get through today. It was the six month anniversary of the Crashdown shooting. The day that Liz Parker had died. He felt a pain inside him just at the thought of it. He was going to go to the cemetery again today. More flowers. As if flowers could bring her back to him. Max hadn’t told Isabel or Michael why it bothered him so much. They would be so mad at him if he told them that his biggest wish was to have been in the café that day, so that he could have saved her, brought her back to them. He had daydreamed about what it would have been like, to connect with her, heal her, and then tell her the truth about him. She had been so beautiful and caring. She probably would have accepted the truth about him with open arms. Max snorted. Yeah, that’s it. Next thing you’ll know he’ll be daydreaming about how she would have fallen in love with him after finding out the truth. Yeah right. No one would fall in love with an alien. 

He pulled the car around a corner, and as they passed the Crashdown Café, Max pulled his eyes off the road and stared at the restaurant. He did it every time he drove passed there. He didn’t even mean to, it just always happened. He always imagined he could see Liz walk out the doors of the café again. Suddenly Max blinked. Wait a sec, this time he didn’t imagine it. He could have sworn that as he drove past, he saw Liz walking out of the alley next to her home. It’s impossible though. She’s dead. Max slammed on the brakes. 

“What the hell are you doing Max!” Michael shouted out.

“Um, I need to go do something. You guys go ahead to school. I’ll catch you later.” Max jumped out of the jeep and ran back towards Liz’s. 

As Michael and Isabel watched him go, only one thought was running through their heads. What was that about?

Michael jumped up into the driver seat, and they sped off. 

Liz sighed as she saw Max’s jeep drive by. Of course he was the first person she’d see this morning. It took all the strength in her not to cry, as he completely ignored her presence. About halfway down the next block though, she saw the jeep screech to a halt. 

“No! I can’t deal with him right now!” Liz thought to herself. “Looks like he’s not giving me much of a choice though.” Max had jumped out of the jeep and was walking directly towards her. He had a really weird look on his face. 

“What do you want, Max?”

“Liz? Is that really you? What are you doing here.”

“Walking to school? What does it look like I’m doing? Taking a step back doesn’t mean I’m going to disappear off the planet or something.”

“What are you talking about?”

Liz stared at Max. Why was he doing this to her? “Max. Why are you pretending like nothing happened last night? God, as if shattering my heart into a million pieces wasn’t enough, now you’re just going to play dumb? This isn’t like you. I never thought that you would sink so low. I mean, it’s bad enough that you ran at the first sign of trouble, but now you’re just going to pretend like nothing happened between us?”

“Happened between us? In my dreams maybe…” he responded with a confused laugh. “I have no idea what you’re talking about Liz. I just want to know how it’s possible that you’re standing here.” When she didn’t immediately interject he continued. “But I’m getting the impression that you have no idea what I’m talking about, just like I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ll show you what I mean. Trust me.”

“How can I trust you Max? I trusted you with my heart, and you shattered it.”

“Please Liz?” Max was confused. Shattered her heart? What was she talking about?

He held out his hand to her, and she took it. At his touch there were sparks between them, but they both tried to ignore it, as he led her off.

“So we’re going to cut school again? Let’s be careful this time, okay? I don’t want you ending up in another hospital bed.” Liz told him. 

Max just ignored her, and he led her towards the Roswell Cemetery. 

“What are we doing here Max.”

“I want you to see a grave. It’s probably going to be really upsetting for you, so I’m sorry, but I think it’s the only way for you to understand…” Max’s voice trailed off. “Here we are.” 

Liz looked down at the gravestone. It read “Elizabeth Parker. Died September 18 th , 1999.”

Liz gasped. “What? Are you trying to tell me that I’m dead? That’s the day of the shooting. What’s going on here?”

Liz slumped to her knees and started crying. Max watched her. All he wanted to do was gather her up in his arms and hold her until she was all better, but he didn’t have the right. He was still confused though. How was it possible that she could be here? 

“Liz. I’m sorry. I know this must be really hard for you.” Max reached out and took her hand. He just couldn’t resist touching her again. Liz looked up, her tear stained eyes meeting his. Suddenly she was in his arms. Neither of them was sure which one reached for the other first, but they sat there holding one another. 

It felt so right, him holding her like this, but it made Liz cry even harder. She loved the feel of his arms holding her tightly against him, but it confused her. Just last night he had broken her heart, and now all of this. Liz couldn’t deal with it anymore. She pushed herself away from him, and they just stared at each other.

“I can’t do this. Not now.” Liz told him. “I need to go.” She turned and ran off. Max just stood there and watched her go. He tried to comprehend everything that had just happened, but he just couldn’t figure it out. He turned and walked home. He couldn’t go to school. He just couldn’t deal with it today. 


	2. Chapter 2

Liz walked for hours. She went everywhere she could possibly think to go. She walked past her home, and past her school. She went to Maria’s house, and then to Alex, but she didn’t go inside anywhere. If what was happening was real, then she was dead to all these people. For the first time she couldn’t go to any of the people that she usually turned to in a crisis. Finally Liz realized that there was only one place that she could go to, and just like that she found herself knocking on Max’s bedroom window. 

“Liz. Hi.”

“Listen, Max. I’ve had a lot of time to think today, and well, it all led me back to you. I don’t have anyone else I can turn to, especially since everyone thinks I’m dead. And, anyway, can I come in? I need to talk to you."

“Of course you can.”

“So I have a theory on what’s going on here, but I have no idea how to fix it or anything. I think I’ve somehow jumped realities.”

“Jumped realities?”

“You know, timelines. I don’t know how it’s possible, but somehow it happened because I’m here, and I shouldn’t be.”

“What’s the last thing you remember from your world? Do you know when it happened?”

“I’m not sure. In my reality I was on my roof talking to you, and then you left, and the next thing I knew, I woke up in my bed in this reality. It’s all so weird.”

“You were talking to me?” Max was surprised. He and Liz almost never talked before she died. He thought about her constantly, wishing he had the guts to talk to her, about anything, really. But in reality she barely knew him. 

Suddenly a thought occurred to Max. “Could I have done this?” he thought. Maybe in Liz’s reality he has more powers than he does in this one. Max felt horribly guilty. He knew that if another Max did this, it really wasn’t his fault, but he still felt bad. Maybe he could find some way to fix what was happening to Liz. But did he really want to fix it? He finally had the girl of his dreams standing there with him. Was he really that selfish that he would try to keep her there if he could?

“Max, are you okay?” Oops. He had zoned out.

“Yeah, sorry, what were you saying?”

“I asked if it’s okay if I stay here tonight. I don’t exactly have anywhere else I can go.” 

“Stay here tonight?” Max thought to himself, “Like in his room? With him?” Michael did it all the time, but he wasn’t horribly attracted to Michael. He couldn’t put her in with Isabel. God, it was like all his Liz-dreams were coming true at once. 

“Of course you can stay here Liz. I wouldn’t leave you out there alone.”

“Thank you Max.” Liz sat down on his bed, and looked up into the eyes of the alien that she’d been dreaming about for months. “But it’s not really him is it” she thought to herself. “It’s  _ a _ Max, but not  _ my _ Max.” But was he even  _ her Max _ anymore? He ended it with her. Took a step back. He said it was just for a while, but any time without Max seemed like an eternity to her. Her world was going to feel so empty without him in it. At least here she had him. 

A single tear dripped down Liz’s face. Max reached his finger out and caught it on her cheek. 

“Don’t do that Liz. Don’t cry. I know that it must be tough, all that you’re going through, but I’m going to help you through it, okay? I’ll do anything in my power to help you find your way home.”

“I know you will Max. I believe in you.” Max looked down at her and felt all his affection for this woman pouring out of him. Those four words spoken by her, “I believe in you,” gave him such strength. He felt like he could do anything, as long as Liz Parker believed in him.” 

Liz looked up at him, and then smiled. She was here with him, she might as well make the most of it. “Hey Max, let’s go do something.”

“Do something?”

“Yeah Max, something fun. I mean, don’t you want to? You’ve wanted to be with me for so long Max, and now I’m here. Let’s take advantage of it and have some fun while we can.” Max grinned. 

“Okay. I’ll admit, I never expected this, but why not? Do you like Chinese? I know this great place across town.” Now it was Liz’s turn to smile. 

“Sure. Let’s go.”

Max and Liz go to the Chinese place, and play pool. As they play, Liz begins to realize again that this Max isn’t really her Max, as he’s much better at playing pool. 

“Do you come here a lot?” Liz asked him as they sat down to eat. 

“Yeah.” Max replied quietly. “Um, after you died, it hurt too much to go to the Crashdown, so I found a new place to hang out.”

“Oh,” Liz replied quietly, “I’m sorry.”

“I never thought I’d ever eat with you here,” Max laughed. “I used to imagine what it would be like to bring you on a date here.”

“Well, now you know,” Liz smiled and squeezed his hand. They finished their food and moved on to their fortune cookies.

“What does yours say,” Liz asked Max. He broke his open. 

“It says, this is the best night of your life.” Max smiled and looked up at Liz. The blood had drained from her face. 

“What?” she asked. 

“This is the best night of your life, see?” Max showed her his fortune cookie. It really said that. 

“Excuse me. I need some air.” Liz jumped up and ran out of the restaurant. 

Max sat there shocked for a moment, before paying the bill and following her outside. He found her sitting on the ground leaning against the jeep. 

“Are you okay Liz?” Max stared down at her with a worried gaze. 

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t being fair to you. I thought I would be okay, since it was you, but that fortune cookie thing freaked me out.”

“Liz, what are you talking about. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Let’s go somewhere quieter to talk.”

“Okay.” Max and Liz jumped into the jeep, and they drove out into the desert. Max veered the jeep off the highway, and drove them towards some rock formations. He parked the jeep, and they got out. 

“Come on. I come out here sometimes to stargaze, or to think. It’s really quiet and peaceful here.” Max led Liz up to the top of the rocks, and they sat down and gazed up at the sky. The stars were shining brightly tonight, and in an instant Liz found the constellation she’d been looking for. The “v” shaped one, which was going to lead Max home. 

“See that constellation up there, the radish shaped one?” Max looked at where she was pointing.

“Yeah I see it.”

“That’s the one I always look for when I go stargazing. I keep a telescope up on my roof. I love studying the stars.” Liz shivered and hugged herself. She didn’t know what she would do if she ever lost Max to the stars. At least she’d always know where to look for him. 

“Tell me about your Roswell, Liz.” Max asked. He wanted to know everything about her. What she liked, what she didn’t like. What she loved, what she hated. What made her break down crying in the Chinese restaurant. 

“My Roswell?” Liz asked. She shivered again.

“Here,” Max said, as her took off his jacked and draped it around her shoulders. He left his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. “I want to hear everything.”


	3. Chapter 3

Liz sat there silently for a moment. Could she really tell him everything that had happened to them: Topolsky, River Dog, Atherton? There was so much. He didn’t even know that she knew about him yet. 

“I guess I should start with what happened in the restaurant. I’m sorry about that. It got too weird and intense for me. It wasn’t you, I want you to know that.” Liz stammered. How could she tell him everything?

“Don’t worry about it. It’s over.”

“You have to understand. In my world, um, well, you took me on our first date there.”

“We dated in your world?” Max couldn’t believe what he was hearing. In her world, he actually had the guts to ask her out? He wondered what kind of circumstances brought them together. Before she died, Liz barely would have given him the time of day. He knew that he would have never moved forward with it. Not only was he just plain out too shy, and kind of embarrassed about his feelings for her, but he was also just different. No one, not even Liz, would have understood what his life was like. 

“We went on one date. To the Chinese Restaurant. I was cool with it at first, ‘cause our date there was nothing like the one in my world. My Max sucks at pool, for example. But the fortune cookie thing freaked me out. On our date, I told Max that my fortune cookie said, “Tonight is the best night of your life,” because it was. It was true at that point in time.”

“But something happened.” Max stated as a fact. He could tell she was leaving something out.

“Our date got interrupted. Michael got really sick and needed you there with him, and anyway, Michael being sick set off a series of events, which led to my Max breaking up with me. That was last night. It was the last thing I remember before I woke up here.” 

“And that’s where all that stuff about breaking your heart came from when I first saw you this morning.” Max finished for her. Max couldn’t believe this.  _ He _ broke up with his dream girl? Liz nodded slowly, trying to figure out what to say next. How was she supposed to explain her world to him? Do you just blurt stuff like that out? By the way, I know you’re an alien. Or is there kind of a subtle way of saying it without freaking him out. 

“I’m sorry. It must have really hurt.” Liz looked up at him. Oh no! He was apologizing for her Max.

“Don’t. It wasn’t you who did it. My Max…well, our relationship is really complex. There’s lots of things that are pushing us together, but twice as many trying to keep us apart.” Max nodded. He could understand that. But what he couldn’t understand was what brought them together. He had admired her from afar for, well, as long as he’d known her, but he always held himself back from expanding to even a friendship with her. His life was so complex, he didn’t think she could ever really understand it. 

Max and Liz both sat in silence for a few minutes, both of them trying to work up the courage to say what needed to be said. Finally Max worked up the courage to say it. 

“Liz, I have to ask. How is it that you and I became so close, I mean, before you died we didn’t even talk enough to classify us as friends, and now you’re telling me that in your world we were a couple. Truthfully, I don’t think that anything would have made me open up to you while you were alive. The fact that I’ve lived with your death these past few months is the only thing that’s really given me the strength to do it now. So my guess is something had to have happened between us. What was it?”

Max felt a huge relief lift from his shoulders. He had gotten it out. He looked intently into Liz’s eyes, and found her staring back into his. God she looked so beautiful, sitting there in the dark with the stars in the sky behind her, all cuddled up in his favorite jacket. 

Liz stared back at Max, still trying to figure out how to say what she needed to say. She looked into the eyes of the man she loved, and found it hard to believe that he didn’t already know what happened between them. As she had fallen in love with Max, she knew with certainty that there was no one else in the universe like him, and somehow, she had found him. Another Max. As she sat there with his arm around her, it felt so perfect, like it was where she belonged. But at the same time, it wasn’t where she belonged, and they both knew it. Liz finally knew what to say to Max.

“Um, something did happen between us,” Liz stammered trying to get it out right, “The shooting happened. In my world, you were in the Crashdown the day of the shooting, and you put your hand on my stomach, and you healed me, and when you healed me, it opened up my eyes to a whole new world of possibilities. You were the center of all those possibilities.”

Max felt like he had been punched in the stomach. He had spent most of the day with Liz. They had laughed together, and cried together, and talked together. No one had ever made him feel so at home, so human. For a little while, he had almost forgotten how different from her he was, and now he finds out that she knew about him all along? It was completely unexpected, and unimaginable. Okay, so he had dreamed it a million times, but no one ever expects their dreams to come to life right in front of him. 

Max stood up and paced around for a moment, before kicking a rock down the edge of the rocky cliff. He had no idea how to react to this. Liz watched him from where she was sitting and tried to figure out what to say. She stood up, walked over to where Max was standing, and took his hands into hers. 

“Max, talk to me. Don’t bundle it all up inside. I know that’s what you’ve always done your entire life, but you can let it all out. It’s okay.”

“Do you..” Max stammered, “Do you know the truth. About me I mean?” Max looked down at her, trying to see through her eyes, and figure out what she was thinking. 

“Yeah.” Max nodded. It didn’t look like there was any fear in her eyes when she said that. Then again, she had treated him normally all day. Suddenly a thought occurred to Max.

“Liz, you dated me even though you know I’m an alien?”

“I fell in love with you even though you’re an alien. And I wouldn’t change anything about you.” Max couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Liz Parker loved him. He felt like he was in a dream. Any moment now he would probably start flying. Max looked deeply into Liz’s eyes. There was something he had always wanted to do. This would be the perfect moment. Slowly, hesitantly, Max brought his lips to Liz’s, and they met in a deep, passionate kiss. Their lips broke, and Max’s broke out in a grin.

“What?” Liz asked.

“That just proved it for me. This isn’t a dream. I know that for certain, because in my dreams, whenever I try to kiss you I wake up. We’re still here though.”

Liz nodded. "Yes, we are here."


	4. Chapter 4

Liz woke up the next morning as the light shone through the big windows in Max’s bedroom. She breathed a sigh of contentment, and snuggled a little closer to Max, as he lay beside her with his arms wrapped tightly around her.

“What a perfect ending to a less then perfect day,” Liz thought. After they kissed on top of the desert rocks, she and Max had loaded themselves back into the jeep, and returned to the Evans’ house, where he lent her some of Isabel’s sweats, and she had crawled into his bed. Max, being the perfect gentleman of course, had begun to roll a sleeping bag out on the floor, before Liz asked him to keep her warm. And for the first time in her life, Liz had the pleasure of falling asleep in the arms of the love of her life. Liz felt Max begin to stir. He stretched, and then returned his arms around Liz, softly kissing her on the forehead. Liz beamed. It was amazing to her how in that small gesture from Max she felt more love from him than she had ever felt from Kyle, or anyone else she had ever dated. 

It was Saturday, so Max had no need to get up early. He lay there, holding her tightly, never wanting the moment to end. 

It ended with a bang, as Isabel burst into Max’s room, causing them both to sit up in a hurry. Isabel stared at them in shock, her brain trying to register the scene before her. Max was in bed with Liz Parker! But Liz was dead. They had attended the funeral. At least they were both dressed…

“What the hell is going on here,” Isabel stammered. Michael’s face appeared behind hers, equally in shock. 

“Good morning,” Max said calmly.

“Good Morning? That’s all you have to say Maxwell?” Michael spit out.

“How can she be here? She’s dead!” Isabel exclaimed. 

“It’s kind of a long, weird story,” Liz muttered, obviously embarrassed at being caught there. 

“Remember yesterday when I ran off on the way to school? Well I saw Liz walking down the side of the road, and I needed to see what’s up. All we know is that this Liz isn’t the Liz from our world.”

“But what’s she doing here?” Isabel demanded to know.

“We don’t know.” Max responded.

“Max and I have been trying to figure that out, but we’re not coming up with any explanation. It was like, one minute I was at home in my Roswell, and then next moment I woke up here.”

“This is great. This is just great.” Michael muttered. “So what are you going to do with her. If we’re seen walking around with a dead girl it’s going to draw eyes.”

“Michael, I’m not going to leave her alone. She needs help. She has no one in this world except me. She’s staying here with me, because she has nowhere else to go. Now if you guys wouldn’t mind, Liz and I want to get dressed and stuff. We can talk about this more later.” 

“Fine Max, but this isn’t over yet.” Michael threatened. Isabel and Michael retreated from the room, leaving Max and Liz alone. Max sat down on the bed and put his arm around Liz. She was sitting there silently, staring at her feet. 

“You okay Liz?” Max asked her worriedly.

“Max, thank you for everything you’re doing for me, but I can’t expect you to take care of me constantly. I mean, who knows how long I’m going to be here. I know that it’s only been one day, but what if it becomes a week, and then a month. I could be here for years, and I know I can’t stay here with you for that long. I need to find a way that I can have a life here if it is necessary. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I want to talk to Maria and Alex. They deserve to know that I’m here.”

“Of course.” Max said, “Why don’t you take a shower and get dressed, and I’ll call them.” 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“I can’t believe this is happening.” Isabel shrieked.

“Seriously,” Michael commented, “Did you see the look on Max’s face when he looked at her. His reasoning is completely impaired when it comes to her.”

“They slept together Michael. Max slept with her. He knows how dangerous that is, I mean, he was the one who came up with the rules.” 

“But the rules don’t seem to matter to Max when Liz Parker is involved.” Michael muttered. This was all too much. 

“What are we going to do about this Michael?”

“What are we supposed to do, Izzy? We can’t do anything until something happens to get Max’s head screwed on straight.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The doorbell rang, and Max went to answer it. Maria and Alex stood there staring at him.

“What’s going on Max?” Maria asked, “It’s not every day that I get weird phone calls from a guy I barely know telling me that I have to come over and talk to him about something regarding my dead best friend.”

“So what is this all about, Ma-?” Alex cut himself off in shock, when Liz walked into the room behind him. 

“Hey guys, it’s me.” Liz greeted them easily. Her two best friends stared at her in shock. Alex was rubbing his eyes, as if trying to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. Nope, she was still there.

“How is this possible. You’re dead.” Alex stammered. 

“I felt you die, Liz. I was holding you in my arms, watching the life drain out of you from that bullet.” Maria cried, tears dripping down her face.

“I helped them bury you. And there was definitely a body in that casket.” Alex replied.

“I’ll explain everything,” Liz told them, “Well, as best I can. Come on, let’s go back to Max’s room.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“So you’re  _ a _ Liz, but you’re not  _ our _ Liz” Maria mused after hearing Liz’s story. Alex sat there silently, obviously trying to process everything.

“This is so unreal.” Maria exclaimed. 

“Yeah, you’re telling me. I absolutely lost it when Max told me I was dead.” Liz squeezed Max’s hand. Having him there beside her made everything so much easier.

“So what are you going to do? Are you going to try to get back?” Alex asked her.

“Well, we don’t know how I got here, so we don’t know how to get me back.” Liz explained, “So for now I just have to stick it out, until we know more about what’s happening to me.”

“Well, we’re here for you, babe, as long as you need us,” Maria told her. 

“Thanks. I knew I could count on you guys.” Liz turned to Max, “What about Michael and Isabel? Can we get them to help too?”

“I dunno. We freaked them out pretty badly this morning. They’re probably really mad at me.”

“I think I have something that might help. I mean, to get them to help me.”

“What’s that? Is there something else that you’re not telling me, Liz?” Max was curious.

“There’s lots of stuff that I haven’t told you, Max, but let me just put it this way. Our relationship isn’t the only thing that came out of the Crashdown shooting. The answers to some of your questions came out of it as well, and if I give you guys those answers, maybe I can get Isabel and Michael to help me too.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Our questions?” Max asked. Liz shot a look at Maria and Alex. She sighed, knowing what their reaction to this was going to be.

“Listen, you guys, this is something I need to talk to Max alone about. I’m really sorry, but we’ll call you a bit later. Maybe we can go hang out tonight or something.”

“So you’re kicking us out, Liz?” Maria exclaimed.

“I’m really, really sorry, but yeah. I’ll call you on your cell when I’m done with Isabel and Michael.”

“Cell? I don’t have a cell, Liz.” Maria looked at Liz strangely. 

“Okay, I guess that’s a my-world thing. Anyway, I’ll call you later.”

“Fine, bye Liz.” Maria and Alex left in a hurry.

“Can you believe this Alex? We finally get our best friend back, and she goes and ditches us for Max Evans. Liz never gave Max Evans the time of day, and now she, like, can’t keep her eyes off him. And why is it that she went to him first instead of us. This is too weird. Something’s going on here.”

“Maria, cool it, okay? You’re just being crazy again.”

“Excuse me? I think I’ve earned the right to act a little crazy. It’s not every day that your best friend is resurrected from the dead. But she’s acting like a total stranger.”

“Of course she’s going to act differently. She isn’t our Liz, Maria. She looks the same, and she may have the same personality, but she’s not the same person. Our Liz is dead. This is just a temporary replacement. Don’t get your hopes up that she’ll be back for good.” And by the looks of it, one of us should tell Max Evans that too, Alex thought. 

“You’re right, Alex. I know you’re right. You’re always right, but I can’t help feeling a little upset that she just blew us off. And for Max Evans. She barely even knows Max Evans. Something weird is going on here, apart from the obvious. And I intend to find out what it is!”

“And how exactly do you plan on doing that Maria?”

“Well, I’m not sure yet, but let’s keep a close eye on this Liz. Try and figure out what her secret is.”

“And what makes you think she’s got a secret?”

“Everyone has got a secret, Alex. Some of them are bigger than others, but we all have them. I mean, yours is that you’re an underground computer hacker, mine is…well…mine is that my father abandoned me and my mom. This Liz has to have one too. So are you going to help me with this Alex?”

Alex sighed. He and Liz used to always laugh at Maria when she got worked up over her crazy theories. “Sure,” Alex agreed, “Why not? It’s not like I have anything else to do this weekend.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Isabel and Michael sat silently in Isabel’s bedroom, waiting to talk to Max. Isabel was organizing her makeup, again, while Michael sat in a chair across the room staring off into space. He started tapping his foot impatiently.

“Will you stop that Michael? It’s really annoying.”

“Well what am I supposed to do? Huh? I’ve been stuck sitting in here watching you pamper yourself for an hour, while Max is in his room with Liz, doing God knows what.”

“I for one don’t WANT to know what they’re doing in there.”

“Whatever they’re doing, he’s breaking the rules just by being with her. You saw the way they looked at each other. We agreed not to get involved with anyone.”

“Michael will you just shut up? Max will come and talk to us when he’s ready.” 

“Knock, knock.” Somebody rapped loudly on the door. 

“See,” Isabel shot at Michael. “Come in! It’s about time you come and talk to us Max.” 

“It’s not Max, it’s Liz,” Liz opened the door, and slowly walked in. “Can I talk to you guys?”

“What do you want. Where’s Max?” Michael snapped at her.

“I asked Max if I could talk to you guys first. I wanted to start by apologizing for just barging in on you guys like this. I know you never would have expected something like this to happen, and especially not for you guys to be the people that I turn to in this situation…”

“Well that’s really sweet of you, but does this little talk have a point?” Isabel remarked sarcastically.

“Let me finish. You have to understand that things are very different where I come from. We’re all a big group of friends in my world: you guys, Max, me, and Maria and Alex, and there’s no secrets between the six of us.”

Isabel laughed, “No secrets, huh?” She gave Liz a wry grin, “I wouldn’t be so sure about that if I were you.”

Liz gave Isabel a pointed, serious look. “I meant that Isabel. No secrets.” Isabel stared back at Liz, and then turned to Michael, who had a shocked look on his face too. Michael finally broke the silence.

“Are you saying that you know…” He drifted off, not wanting to be the one to say it.

“I know everything“, Liz told them, “About you three, and where you come from.” Michael and Isabel sat there in a daze, trying to process what Liz was telling them. They had spent their entire lives being so careful, making sure that no one ever found out about them, and then out of nowhere, a dead girl walked back into their lives announcing that she knew all their secrets. 

“How?” Isabel asked her quietly. 

“Well, it all started with the Crashdown shooting…”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Alex and Maria sneak up to the Evans house. They’re dressed ridiculously in camouflage army clothes in an attempt to blend in with the bushes, sneaking around like they’re breaking into a restricted army compound or something. Alex guards Maria’s back with a plastic water gun, as she sneaks by the front windows, and turns the corner towards the side of the house. They finally make into the backyard, and sneak up to Max’s bedroom window, where they crouch down and wait, listening.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Max is pacing around his bedroom nervously, waiting for Liz’s return. “God only knows what Michael and Isabel’s reaction to this all will be. They’re probably going to kill her.” The wait was tremendous for him. Max wanted nothing more than to go with Liz in there, so that he could try and make it easier for everyone. He wanted to protect Liz from Michael and Isabel’s accusations, and he wanted to be sure that Liz gave it to them lightly. Max smiled. He knew she’d do fine though. She was amazing like that. Max remembered what it was like for him to hold her in his arms the night before. It was incredible. His dreams hadn’t come even close to comparing to what it was like in reality. Her skin was so soft and silky, and her hair smelled incredible. He couldn’t forget that incredible scent. And she was so beautiful. 

He was so lost in his thoughts, that he almost didn’t even hear the door open, and Liz, Michael, and Isabel came marching in. He looked up in surprise. “So, how did it go?” He asked. 

“Well, that was something we didn’t expect to hear.” Isabel told him, “And you know what the annoying part is? I can’t even get mad at you, ‘cause you didn’t do it. I wish there was someone I could get mad at, but there isn’t, so I guess we’ll just have to live with it.”

“I think they took it pretty well,” Liz commented, smiling her electrifying smile at Max. It was all he could do to keep from melting into a puddle right there. 

“So now what?” Max asked her, “You said that there was more.”

“Yeah, there is.” Liz sighed, trying to figure out where to start. “Okay, like I said before Max, our relationship wasn’t the only thing that came out of the Crashdown shooting. Neither was my knowledge that you are all aliens. A lot of people became suspicious of the three of you, in particular, Sheriff Valenti. He had previous proof of alien existence, and when you healed me, he focused briefly on trying to get me to expose you. I wouldn’t, of course, but he took me in for questioning, and showed me this picture of a corpse from 1959, with a silver handprint on its chest. This man had been killed by an alien, and he tried to frighten me into revealing you.”

“Are you saying that there was another alien besides us?” Michael demanded. 

“Well, there was in 1959. Anyway, this picture led us on a series of clues, which eventually led us to the Mescalero Indian Reservation, where a man named River Dog told us the story of his relationship with this alien named Nasedo. He told us everything that Nasedo told him about who he was and where he came from, and he told us the story of Nasedo killing that man in the picture. River Dog showed us the cave where Nasedo lived. There were paintings on the wall of the cave, which Michael recently discovered in a vision were a map home. Max, do you remember that constellation I pointed out to you last night? The V-shaped one?” Max nodded. “Well, that’s where we think your home is.”

The three aliens stared at Liz in shock. Liz had just given them more knowledge about themselves than they expected to find in their entire lifetime. 

Isabel broke the silence, “Could you take us there? Show us the cave with the map?” Liz nodded.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Outside the window, Alex and Maria stared at each other in shock, barely believing what they had just heard. They heard the front door shut, and waited until they had sped off in Max’s jeep before speaking.

“It’s impossible. Aliens don’t exist. I mean, even here in Roswell we all know that there was no crash. It’s been scientifically proven,” Alex insisted. 

“Why would they make all that up? They didn’t know that we were listening. I think we just found out what Liz’s secret is, and Max, Michael, and Isabel’s too for that matter.”

“So what are we going to do about it?”

“Let’s go over to my place and figure that out. Remember that we’re going to be hanging out with Liz tonight. We have to figure out what we’re going to say to her when she calls later.”


	6. Chapter 6

Max stared at the wall of the cave in the dark firelight, tracing the lines of the alien symbols with his fingertips. Liz stood back and watched the three aliens, as they studied the walls in fascination. She realized, as she watched them, that this was their first experience with anything like this. They had probably never expected to ever find any clues about themselves, and she had just handed them a huge one. In her world, they had been studying Nasedo’s necklace for days before River Dog had brought them to the cave. Surprises had become not so unexpected in her world, but here, everything was new to them. 

She watched Max, and smiled at the way the fire bounced off of his eyes, his incredible soulful eyes. The eyes that had watched her throughout her life. She wondered how it was that she hadn’t felt his eyes on her for all the years before. Nowadays she knew when Max was watching her. She felt him whenever he was near. Liz could barely remember what her life was like before the shooting. Her life had turned around so quickly. It went from being empty, to being so full of passion and life. Liz didn’t know how she had done it before, lived her life without Max Evans. Then she frowned. What about when she got back? She had Max so completely here, but when she goes home, it’ll be right back where they left off, with a step back. She’ll have to try her life without Max as the center of it. Liz sighed. She wasn’t sure if she could do that.

At the sound of the air escaping from Liz’s lungs, Max turned and looked at her. He had been so caught up in studying the symbols that he had almost forgotten about her. His breath caught in his throat, as he studied the look on her face. She looked so sad. He walked over to her, cupping her cheek with his hand. 

“Hey, you okay?” He asked her.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. I was just thinking about stuff, you know?” Max nodded. He didn’t want to push her any further than she wanted to go.

“I’m here, whenever you’re ready to talk.” Liz nodded, and threw a look towards Michael and Isabel, still caught up in the wall of the cave. Max understood. There were certain things she didn’t want to talk about in front of them. He quickly kissed her on the forehead, and turned back towards the paintings. Liz watched him, her eyes filled with love. She was so lucky to have him. She just hoped she would be able to let him go. 

“Hey, what are you doing here?” The four friends turned quickly to the mouth of the cave, where an old Native American stood, glaring at them. “You shouldn’t be here. How did you find this place? You must leave, immediately! Don’t come back.” 

“No, wait! River Dog!” Liz cried franticly.

“Do I know you?”

“No, you don’t. But I know you. I know your secret, and your background with Nasedo!”

“How could you possibly know about Nasedo? I haven’t told anyone anything about him.”

“I can’t explain how I know, but I do. And I’m trustworthy. So are my friends here. They’re...” Liz paused and looked at Max before continuing, “They’re visitors too. Test them. You’ll find them to be worth your time.” 

Nasedo walked to where the three aliens stood together, and studied them closely. After a great moment of silence he spoke. “Prove it.” 

Max stepped forward, and picked up a fistful of dust off of the floor of the cave. He studied it closely for a moment, letting it slowly slip between the fingers of his right hand, into the cup of his left hand. He held his right hand over the dust for a moment, before it started to glow. The dust in his hand clumped together, and reformed as a rock. Max looked up slowly, and tossed the rock to River Dog, who caught it, and held it in his hand briefly, not taking his eyes off of Max, before finally saying calmly, “You have passed the test.”

There was another moment of silence before Max finally asked, “Can we come visit you more later? I have a great many questions to ask you,” he chuckled, “I just have to figure out what they are.”

“Of course. I will tell you whatever I can, answer whatever questions I have the right answers to.”

“Thank you.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After the brief ride back from the reservation, Isabel and Michael went off to comprehend everything they had just learned, leaving Liz and Max sitting alone in his room. Max watched Liz, as she sat by his window, staring out at the blue, blue sky. She was lost in thought again. Something big was obviously on her mind. 

“Do you want to go on a walk or something? Get outside, get some air. Talk. Whatever?” Max fumbled. 

“Yeah.” Liz responded quietly. Max took her hand and helped her out the window.

There was a cool breeze blowing through Liz’s hair as she and Max walked quietly through the streets of the town they both grew up in. Max had his arm around her, holding her close, refusing to let her go. It felt so right, the two of them being together. He finally spoke after a few blocks.

“Listen, Liz. I can tell something’s on your mind. Can I help at all?” Liz looked up into the eyes of the man who had stolen her heart, and sighed. 

“It’s just this. Being here with you. It feels so right. It feels so good. I want you to know this Max. Even through everything I’m going through, the last 2 days have been some of the happiest days of my life, because I’ve been with you. It’s all meant so much to me.”

Max smiled his adorable little half-smile, that he reserved only for her. “It’s meant a lot to me too, Liz.”

“The only thing is this. Through all of my happiness, I can’t forget that this isn’t real. It’s not going to stay this way. Eventually I’m going to wake up and find myself back home, to the world where you’re not willing to let us be together like this, and it’s going to kill me to know what it’s like to have you, to see you every day, but to not be able to be with you. It’s going to be so hard to go back to the way things were.”

“Liz, I’m an idiot. I want you to know that. When you go back, look at me, and know that I’m an idiot. I have to be if I’m the one keeping us apart. He obviously doesn’t know what he’s missing.” Liz smiled. “I know it’s going to be hard for you Liz. It’s going to be hard for me too. When you leave, I will always have these memories of our time together, and I will be missing you so badly. It’s going to be torture for me, Liz. Absolute torture. I know that for certain, but I’m not going to let it affect our time together now. I can live with the eventual pain of losing you, as long as I get to be with you now. Any time with you, no matter how short it is, is better than no time with you, Liz, because I love you.”

Liz stopped dead in her tracks, and looked up at him in shock, barely believing the words she was hearing, the sweet, wonderful words she had always wanted to hear him say. “What did you say?”

“I love you, Liz. With all my heart.” Max tucked his arms around her waist, holding her closely. She looked up into his eyes.

“I love you too, Max. I could never love anyone else the way that I love you. My heart is yours. No one else could ever conquer it the way that you have.”

Max pulled her closer to him, his blood sizzling as their bodies met. His lips met hers in a passionate kiss, filled with all the love he felt inside of him. The two of them felt so right. Max knew, in his heart, that they belonged together, as their embrace deepened. After what would have seemed like an eternity to anyone watching, but was way too quickly for the two love stricken teenager, they broke the embrace, still holding each other, and staring at each other with love in their eyes. Liz caressed the back of Max’s neck, and he weaved his fingers through her hair, holding each other, wanting to never let go. 

“We should probably get back,” Max whispered huskily.

“Yeah.” Liz responded, still lost in his eyes. 

She finally broke his gaze. “Yeah! I completely forgot about Maria and Alex! I have to call them, make sure they’re not upset about this afternoon. God, I totally blew them off! They’re probably going to kill me!”


	7. Chapter 7

Liz, Max, Alex, Maria, Michael, and Isabel sat around a table in the Chinese place. There was an uncomfortable silence, no one really willing to talk to anyone else. 

Liz sighed. Once again she was reminded about how different this world was from hers. Back home, the six of them were becoming friends, and could sit around a table together and have a good time, cracking alien jokes, and being completely open with each other, but here… Well, Maria and Alex didn’t know about the aliens, and none of them were comfortable with the six-some, except for Liz. 

She couldn’t help but feel a little lucky. They all seemed to be trying to have a good time together for her, but the group as a whole had nothing in common. 

Liz frowned. What was up with Alex and Maria? They were acting really strange. Both of them were dead silent, not even conversing with each other, and they kept fidgeting, and passing strange looks to each other. Liz wondered what was up with them. 

Everything was just different here. Max wanted to be with her here, no matter what obstacles stood in their way. Liz couldn’t suppress her giggle. That was something that she wished that she could take back with her! 

Liz’s giggle broke the silence, and everyone looked up at her curiously. 

“Sorry. I was just thinking about how different things are here.”

“Different how?” Alex asked her.

“Well, the fact that the six of us can’t even seem to carry a conversation for one thing. We hang out together in my world. And there always seems to be something to talk about, some mystery we have to figure out.”

“Like what kind of mystery?” Maria asked pointedly. Maybe she could get Liz to bring up the aliens so that they didn’t have to. She glanced nervously at Michael and Isabel across the table. Who knew what kind of secret powers they had? If she brought it up, they could probably kill her without a second thought. 

Maria swallowed hard. God they made her nervous the way they sat over there silently. They were glaring at Liz she noticed. What was that about? Liz had better be careful or they might kill her first!

“Oh, never mind. It’s not important.” Liz dismissed. “Mostly I was wishing that I could take some parts of this Max home with me,” she went on, dropping a shy smile towards him. Max grinned, and took her hand, squeezing it gently. 

“Oh God,” Isabel groaned. “Must you two get all mushy on each other right in front of us all? We really don’t need to see it.”

“Yeah, save it for later,” Alex put in. Isabel grinned at Alex from across the table, and he gave her a shy smile in response. 

Liz couldn’t help but grin, “Hey, we finally found something that you guys can agree on.” Everyone laughed, and for a brief moment, Liz felt right at home once again. But then she noticed Maria’s pale face across the table. She didn’t notice before how nervous her best friend looked. 

“Hey Maria, you okay?” Liz asked, her voice shadowed with concern.

“Liz, why don’t you go ahead and tell us the truth. Alex and I already know that they’re aliens.”

The laughter across the table died out in an instant. 

“Excuse me? What did we…I mean, how did you find out?” Liz stammered

“We could tell something was up when we left Max’s house this morning.” Alex stated

“So we came back and spied on you guys from outside the window when you talked about it later.” Maria finished.

“You did what?” Liz gasped angrily.

“We needed to know what was going on! I mean, you were our best friend in the world, and you’re dead. Then you suddenly show up, and all you seemed to want to do was hang on Max Evans, who you never paid the least bit of attention to before. We couldn’t help but be a little curious to what was going on.”

“Maria, you should have trusted me. I mean, it’s still me, Liz. When have I ever lied to you?”

“It’s just…life was really tough without you in it. I hate to be overly blunt with you here, Liz, but you have no idea how hard it is when your best friend dies. You’ve never had to deal with that. And then for her to reappear again…it’s just tough.”

Liz stared at her friend in shock. “You’re right. I don’t know what it’s like.”

“Excuse me,” Michael burst in, “But whenever you girls are done with your little best friend moment, we still have to deal with the fact that they know.” 

Liz nodded. “This is true. I never meant for you guys to find out about this.”

“You guys can’t talk to anyone about this,” Max told them. “And you can’t talk to each other about it in public. You don’t understand what will happen if the wrong people find out about us.”

“And how are you sure that we’re not the wrong people,” Maria asked.

“Yeah, how do we know that they’re not going to go blurt this all out to the first person who asks them if they know any aliens?” Isabel whispered angrily.

“Because.”

“Because why?” Alex asked.

“Because Liz told me that in her world you both are in on our secret too, and that you are both trustworthy.”

“This is true. Maria, I know you’re freaked out right now. In my world you freaked out too, but I can assure you that they will never hurt you, and in the long run, I’ll bet you’ll benefit from their friendship. I know you probably find that hard to believe right now, but I can assure you that they’ve done nothing, but made our lived more exciting since they became a part of our lives.”

Maria nodded. “I guess we’re going to have to learn to be friends then, won’t we?” 

The others nodded in agreement.


	8. Chapter 8

The remainder of dinner passed on without any problems. Everyone was making a strong effort to interact with everyone else. Liz couldn’t help but smile as she noticed Alex staring adoringly at Isabel, and Michael watching Maria when she wasn’t looking. Some things just never changed. 

Liz turned towards Max and noticed him studying the group before them. “What is it, Max?” Liz asked him.

“I was just thinking about how right all this feels. The six of us together. You and I together. It just feels natural. I haven’t felt this completely at ease in…well…my entire life. It’s nice. I know it wasn’t your choice, Liz, but thank you for coming here, and making a world that in so many ways seemed wrong to finally feel right.”

Liz nodded in reply, but couldn’t find herself to say anything. It did feel good, having the six of them together, but Liz was used to this feeling. It was new to everyone else at the table. But as accepting as the circle felt, Liz knew deep inside of her that she didn’t belong there. It wasn’t her home. She still didn’t even know how she got there, and she didn’t know how to get back. As nice as it felt, to be able to be there with Max, to stay in his bed, to hold him in her arms, she knew that she had to go home eventually. 

Liz felt the tears well up in her. She didn’t want to cry, not in front of all of them. They were happy, complete, and she didn’t want to destroy that feeling for them.

“Will you guys excuse me for a minute? I need to get some air.” Without even giving them time to respond, Liz jumped up and ran outside to the parking lot. 

She stood there in the middle of the street, her chest heaving up and down, with the tears streaming freely down her cheeks, and all she wanted in the world was to go home. Her cheeks stung in pain as the cold night air met her wet face, and she shivered, suddenly feeling very alone. 

Liz felt a hand on her shoulder, and she whipped around to face Max. 

“Hey, are you okay?” He reached out to pull her to him. Liz took a step back.

“Don’t. Not right now. I can’t…” She looked around and saw her other four friends standing not too far away. 

“Liz, is there something I can do? What is it?”

“It’s just… Max, I don’t belong here.”

“Yes you do, Liz.”

“No, don’t say that, because it isn’t true, Max. As much as you want me to, as much as I want me to at times, this isn’t my home. It never will be my home. My Roswell is somewhere else out there. As much as I may not always like how things turn out there, it’s where I belong.”

“Couldn’t you try to belong here? I mean, I love you, Liz. And I want to be with you. I mean, it may not be easy, but we can make it work. I’ve been through life without you, Liz, and it’s an agony that I’m not sure I want to feel again.”

“I’m sorry, Max. I love you too, but I want to go home.”

Liz took another step backwards, and Max could do nothing, but watch as she stepped on a glass beer bottle, lying in the road. Liz’s feet flew out from underneath her, and she hit the ground with a thud, her head hitting the cement curb behind her. The last thing Liz saw was Max’s frightened face over her, before he disappeared into darkness.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Don’t leave me, now, Liz. Stay with me. I’m so sorry about everything. I don’t know what I would do if I lost you now. Please come back, Liz. I love you.” 

Liz heard Max’s voice first. Where was he? It was dark, so dark. She couldn’t see him, but she needed to! She needed to see him.

Slowly, painfully Liz cracked her eyes open. They felt so heavy, like huge boulders blocking her vision. It was blurry, but she thought she could see Max standing over her. Then she felt his hands…

Max’s hands were stroking her head, his fingers tangling in her hair, and combing through it. Liz felt him gently kiss her on the forehead, and she couldn’t hold back the smile, which automatically reached her lips. Max seemed to have that effect on her. Any touch from his was just electrifying to her.

She wrenched her eyes open the rest of the way, and smiled up at him.

“Liz? Oh my God! Liz, you’re awake!” Max shouted towards the door, “Hey everyone, she’s awake!”

Maria, Alex, Isabel, Michael, and her parents came rushing into the room, surrounding her, and all talking at once.

“I’m so glad you’re awake,” Isabel shrieked

“Girl, you freaked us all out! For a second there, I was thinking I’d have to find a new best friend.” Maria freaked.

“Don’t ever do that to us again,” Alex warned her.

“You look like shit,” Michael told her bluntly.

“How are you feeling, honey? You okay?” Her mom asked her.

“I’m fine, you guys, just fine. What happened? What did I miss here?”

“Well we were hoping you could tell us.” Her dad said, “When you didn’t get up for school on Monday morning, we went looking for you, and found you unconscious out on the balcony.”

“The doctors think you cracked your head, but they’re not sure.” Her mother said.

Liz slowly sat up. “Well, my head definitely hurts.” Liz groaned.

“Hey, take it easy, Liz. Don’t get up before you’re ready.” Her dad warned her. 

“I’m fine, really.” 

Liz looked around at her loved ones, and knew without a doubt that she was back home, with her Max, her Maria. She hit her head, huh? What did that mean about everything that she experienced? Was any of it real? Or was it all just a figment of her imagination.

It sure felt real. She could still feel Max’s arms around her, the warmth she felt as their lips met. The electricity flowing through her. But it wasn’t real, was it? They all just told her that she had been lying there in her bed for…how long has it been? Liz voiced her question aloud.

“Two days, Liz. You’ve been out for two days. It’s Wednesday afternoon right now.”

“Wednesday afternoon, huh?” She didn’t really lose any time in her mind. Liz had experienced all day Monday and all day Tuesday in that other world.

“Hey mom, could I talk to my friends alone? Dad?”

“Sure sweetie. Let us know if you need anything.” Liz nodded as they exited the room.

“What’s up, Liz?” Isabel asked her curiously.

“Okay, you guys will not believe what I experienced the past two days. I was, like, somewhere else.” Liz related the story of her time in the other Roswell to her friends, them shaking their heads in shock at the story.

“Liz, that’s incredible,” Maria breathed.

“What do you guys think, was it all just a dream?”

“Probably.” Alex responded.

“I know I can vouch that you were in this bed the whole time,” Max quietly told her. 

Liz looked over at him. When everyone else came in, he had slid back into a corner of her room, staying in the background the entire time. Their eyes met briefly, and in that instant, Liz saw a world of love and affection, and concern for her well being in his eyes, before he quickly turned away. 

Liz sighed. She was back to the “take a step back” world, where Max didn’t want anything to do with her anymore. Suddenly she felt very cold without Max’s arms around her.

“It sure felt real.” She whispered.

The six friends stayed at Liz’s for a few more hours, talking and laughing with one another. Liz couldn’t help but enjoy their company. It all felt so right, so natural. She finally knew how the other Max had felt when he first felt the company of this group. Liz felt the same way now that she was back home. Everything felt right. Well, almost everything.

Finally they decided to call it a night. Maria had to go down and work a closing shift at the Crashdown, and Alex wanted to get to his homework. Isabel and Michael decided it was as good a time as any to go.

“You coming, Max?” Isabel asked as she headed out the door. 

“Not yet. Tell mom I’ll be home later.” 

Isabel smiled. She knew what that meant. “Okay, Max. See you tonight.”

Liz looked up at Max, who was still standing off in the corner. Again, she met his eyes, and this time he didn’t shy away from her gaze. Slowly, he moved himself over to her bed, and sat down beside her. 

“You really scared me, Liz. You have no idea. When I went to school Monday morning, and you didn’t show up to class, I immediately started worrying. After bio, I cut the rest of the day and rushed to your house.”

“Isn’t that against the whole step back idea, Max?”

“Well. Yeah. But I was worried about you. I’ve been by your side every moment it was humanly possibly since you’ve been unconscious. I thought I was going to lose you for a while there, and that scared me more than you could ever know. I can’t imagine my life without you in it, Liz. It would kill me, absolutely kill me, if you died.”

“Max…” Liz started, but Max interrupted her.

“Let me finish, otherwise I may not be able to get it out. I’ve had a chance to rethink everything while I’ve been sitting here with you. I couldn’t stand the idea of you dying without knowing how I really feel. I love you, Liz. I need you, in fact. I know I told you that I needed some time apart, but I was stupid. I was scared of what I was feeling. But I couldn’t stand the idea of us never having a chance to be together. I know I hurt you the other day, but I’m sorry, and I want us to have another chance. If you’ll have me that is.”

“I want to be with you, Max.” Liz said simply.

“Really?” 

“Yes, really,” Liz smiled at him. “I love you too Max. I love everything about you, and I wouldn’t change anything about you. Ever since you entered my life the day of the shooting, you’ve been the center of my life, my whole world. And I think that no matter how many steps backwards you take, I’ll be there to take as many steps towards you.” 

Max gazed lovingly into Liz’s eyes one last time, before pulling her to him, and embracing her in a passionate kiss. 

As Max and Liz kissed, they connected to one another, and Max got a series of visions from Liz, visions, which confused him a great deal.

_ FLASH _

Max and Liz in a cemetery.

_ FLASH _

Max and Liz stargazing.

_ FLASH _

Max and Liz in bed together.

_ FLASH _

Max staring at Liz with complete fear in his eyes.

_ FLASH _

Max broke the embrace, staring down at Liz in shock. Liz looked up at him, her eyes worshipping his. 

“What is it, Max?”

“Um, Liz. Correct me if I’m wrong, but we’ve never slept together right?”

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> Posted during OG fandom under the username cookie2697


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